This season's Nationwide League Division Two surprise package can enjoy their game in the rest of the campaign.

Before the season kicked off back in August Pool were everybody's favourites to go straight back down into Division Three.

But Neale Cooper's side have shown they can live in the dizzy heights at the top end of the Second Division.

They have lost just once at home this season - a result which ended their record 28-game unbeaten home record.

And with just six goals conceded at Victoria Park before today's visit of promotion favourites Bristol City, Pool have kept pace with the promotion play-off pack.

The away form is improving - Cooper's side have picked up four points from their last two matches on the road and have kept successive clean sheets - and they have already been to the big guns Queens Park Rangers, Plymouth and Bristol City.

Now, with 39 points on the board and 13 points clear of the relegation zone, Pool can stop looking over the shoulders and can start looking up.

So says central defender Michael Nelson, who reckons now is the time for the players to get the most out of their football.

"We have played well this season and have surprised a lot of teams with the football we play," said Michael.

"So far we have had some great results and are almost certain of staying up now.

"That means we can just relax and play our football and just enjoy it for the rest of the season.

"Before a ball was kicked this season we were everyone's favourites to take a tumble and everybody said we would go down.

"But we are doing really well and are up there."

While urging his team-mates to enjoy their football, Michael believes they need to maintain the winning mentality and must not rule out a place in the end of season promotion play-offs.

And the Tyneside-born stopper reckons the way to stay in with a chance of making the play-offs is to keep winning at Victoria Park.

He said: "If we can keep winning our home games and picking up the odd results away from home we won't be too far away.

"It's true that our away form hasn't been the best this season but it is improving. We've kept successive clean sheets in the last two league away games and at Sunderland in the FA Cup we only conceded the one goal.

"So if we can keep picking up a point here and a win there, it is going to put us in a good position.

"But it is our home form which is important. Before the league kicks off you look at your home form to keep you up, we have done that so we have to use it to go further.

"This league is very tight, usually around this time of year you can afford a couple of slips and not lose touch. But not this season, lose a game and you can drop as much as five places.

"I've had a season in this division before (with Bury) but unfortunately we were relegated.

"So this experience of playing in the Second Division is more enjoyable.

"It's a far better division in terms of quality than the Third. There is more skill and you have to be at the top of your game every week.

"I don't mind whether I play against tall or small strikers, fast or slow. I would just like to think that I have been able to put on a good performance against whoever I have faced this season."

Since his arrival last summer, Michael has been one of Pool's best performers and has formed a superb partnership with Chris Westwood.

And the 21-year-old says their partnership works so well because they complement each other.

"Obviously I'm bigger than Westie and he's a bit quicker than me so I tend to go for the aerial balls and anything I miss he cleans up on the deck and it works well, hopefully we can keep that understanding going for the rest of the season."